Atlanta Hawks: Kevin Huerter is huge for this team
The Atlanta Hawks have has some tremendous performances out of Kevin Huerter over the past three seasons. There were none bigger than the massive effort he put in during the final game of the Philadelphia 76ers, which helped them to the series win.
He is the glue guy for this team, the player who gives what the others can’t on any given night. He is a true Nate McMillan type of player, not just as a coach but Huerter plays in a similar fashion to how McMillan played himself.
His 3-point shooting in these playoffs has been crucial for spacing the floor, especially since Bogdan Bogdanovic has been having knee issues Huerter can also act as a secondary playmaker, which is handy since he is the starting small forward at the moment.
The Atlanta Hawks have benefitted from Kevin Huerter’s flexibility.
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All season long Huerter has played so many roles for the team. He has been used in the starting lineup in both the small forward and shooting guard role. He has also been the primary ball-handler for the bench unit when the team was relatively healthy.
In the third game of the conference finals, Huerter was everywhere when the game was in the balance. Offensively, he took a long 3-point shot which he made, keeping the Hawks close when Young was hurt.
Then, on the next defensive play, he blocked the 3-point attempt from Jrue Holiday, then he played incredible one-on-one defense, forcing Holiday to give the ball up. He passed it out to the other wing where Khris Middleton took the 3-point attempt. Huerter made it from the deep paint to beyond the 3-point line on the other side of the court to challenge the shot.
Next. Young joins Oscar Robertson statistically. dark
This is where Huerter is huge for this team, and no matter what the result of this series, it is going to be crucial to sign Huerter to his contract extension this summer.